The Weekly Sedra – Korach

This week we read of the twenty four gifts that G-d allocated to the Kohanim (priests): the first born animals, the first fruits, the ‘show’ bread, tithes of produce, first shearings, redemption money of first born sons, portions of many sacrifices and more.

Rashi tells us (our portion 18:8) that these gifts are listed here because our weekly portion tells the story of how an evil genius named Korach almost succeeded in usurping Aaron and taking the Priesthood into his own hands.

But at first glance this is not understood.

These gifts have nothing to do with Korach; if he hadn’t made trouble they would still had been given to the Cohanim. Why should this entire weekly Torah portion be called on his name, especially being that he was an evil man?

The Weekly Sedra – Shlach

This week’s we again read the bizarre story of the M’raglim (spies); holy pioneers empowered by Moses and G-d Almighty to manifest the very goal of creation and pave the way for the Jews into the Promised Land… who inexplicably failed in their task.

But maybe it wasn’t so inexplicable.

In fact we see that they did exactly what they were sent to do; they reported what they saw in the land of Canaan:

‘The inhabitants are strong giants, Amalekites, Emorites in the mountains, Cannanim on the sea. The land devours its inhabitants, we were in our own eyes like little bugs and so we were in their eyes.’

The Weekly Sedra – Behaalotecha

This section begins with the commandment of lighting the Menora.

Rashi comments (8:2) that when Moses’ brother, Aaron the High Priest, felt bad because G-d did not ask him to bring an offering for the Tabernacle like the other heads of the tribes (Num. 7:1-83), G-d consoled him:

“Don’t worry, you get to light the Menora, which is even greater!”

And to this very day the Menora is undoubtedly the best known vessel in the Holy Temple.

But it is also the most misrepresented…

Harmony, Expulsion and Frustration

A man was once asked, “What is the difference between ignorance and apathy?”

“To tell you the truth,” he said, “I don’t know and I don’t care.”

The Levite family tree

Levi, one of the 12 sons of Jacob (the third of our forefathers, a grandson of the first Jew Abraham), had three sons – Gershon, Kehas and Merari – as well as a daughter, Yocheved. While Yocheved mothered Moses and Aaron, the teacher and High Priest of Israel, her three brothers fathered the Levi tribe (1) who dedicated their lives to the spiritual service of the Holy Tabernacle and at a later point the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, an abode the Jewish people erected for the manifest presence of G-d (2).

In this week’s portion (3), Naso, the Torah relates how these three Levite families were charged with the mission of carrying the Tabernacle and its accessories when the Jewish people traveled in the Sinai desert for 40 years.

The Weekly Sedra – Parshat Bamidbar & Shavuos

This week’s section Bamidbar (which means In the desert) begins the fourth book of the Torah and sets the stage for the holiday of Shavuot this coming week.

The Baal Shem Tov (who passed away on Shavuot some 250 years ago) taught that every detail of Creation and especially every word of the Torah contains deep, mystical, and personal messages.

So when the holiday of Shavuot comes in the week of Bamidbar, there must be a major message, and here it seems to be obvious: the Torah was given in the desert (Exodus 10:1).

And the Talmud explains that this comes to teach us that just as a desert is ownerless and anyone can take what’s in it for free, so also the Torah is available to everyone free for the taking.

The Weekly Sedra – Behar-Bechukotai

This week’s double section begins with a disappointment and ends with a curse.

It begins with a powerful introduction: “G-d spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai saying the following” and then goes on to explain only ONE commandment called Shmita (farmers in Israel must not work the land on the seventh year). Shmita is only relevant to farmers in Israel once every seven years.

Then, near the end of the second section, the Torah lists forty-nine depressing curses awaiting Jews who don’t keep the Torah (and later in Deuteronomy 28:15-69, the Torah lists 98 more!).

The Weekly Sedra – Emor

This week’s section contains thirty-nine negative commandments andtwenty-four positive ones, one of which is “Counting the Omer.” The Omer was a bundle of barley from the new harvest brought to the Temple altar on the day after Passover in a complicated ritual. Although today there is no Omer and no Temple (until the Moshiach builds the third and final one), counting the forty-nine days from Passover to Shavuot (“Seven COMPLETE weeks” — 23:15) still remains a commandment.

And in fact, with a bit of Chassidic soul preparation, it can become one of the most deeply personal commandments of them all.

The teachings of Chassidut explain in detail that these seven weeks correspond to the seven character aspects (or emotions) of G-d and of man (because man is made in G-d’s image) and through this commandment we can link our personalities to that of the Creator.

Beis Iyar: 172 Years to the Rebbe Maharash

The fourth Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, Rabbi Shmuel Schneersohn (1834-1882), known by the acrynom “Maharash”, was born in the town of Lubavitch (White Russia) on the 2nd of Iyar of the year 5594 from creation (1884). His father, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (the 3rd Chabad Rebbe, known as the “Tzemach Tzeddek”) once remarked that Rabbi Shmuel’s birthday, coinciding with 17th day of the Omer Count, is defined by the Kabbalistic masters as Tifferet sheb’Tifferet (“Beauty of Beauty”)

Although Rabbi Shmuel was the youngest of Rabbi Menachem Mendel’s seven sons, he was chosen to succeed his father as “rebbe” and leader of Chabad in the movement’s capitol, Lubavitch (five of his brothers established branches of Chabad Chassidism in other towns in White Russia and Ukraine). In addition to leading his Chassidim, guiding and advising their spiritual and material lives and authoring many maamarim (discourses of Chassidic teaching), Rabbi Shmuel traveled extensively to throughout Europe, meeting with government and business leaders to exert pressure on the Czarist regime to halt its instigation of pogroms against the Jews of Russia.

Rabbi Shmuel passed away at age 47 on the 13th of Tishrei, 5643 (1882).

The Weekly Sedra – Tazria Metzora

This week we read two Torah portions that cover the strange laws of Tzoraat.

Tzoraat is loosely translated as ‘leprosy’ because both are skin diseases but really there is very little similarity.

One of the outstanding differences between them is that Tzoraat is not caused by germs and it cannot be cured medically. Rather, its cause is haughtiness (i.e. false egotism) the only cure for it is humility (Rashi14:4).

Does this make sense? True, haughtiness is an ugly trait but it certainly is not a sin.

And conversely humility, as laudable as it may be, is not a commandment.

Why should they bring such exaggerated results that two entire sections of the Torah are devoted to them?

The Rebbes Plea – 1991 to the Present

Chof Ches Nissan, 15 years from the Rebbes cry “All that I can possibly do is to give the matter over to you. Now, do everything you can to bring Moshiach, here and now, immediately.”

To listen to the Sicha Click Here. (Sichos.com)

“How is it that the Redemption has not yet been attained? That despite all that has transpired and all that has been done, Moshiach has still not come?

”What more can I do? I have done all I can to bring the world to truly demand and clamor for the Redemption…. The only thing that remains for me to do is to give over the matter to you. Do all that is in your power to achieve this thing—a most sublime and transcendent light that needs to be brought down into our world with pragmatic tools….

“I have done all I can. I give it over to you. Do all that you can to bring the righteous redeemer, immediately!

“I have done my part. From this point on, all is in your hands.”

The Weekly Sedra – Shemini

This week’s section is called “Eighth” referring to the eighth and final day of the preparations for the opening of the Tabernacle in the desert.

In the writings of Kabbalah and Chassidut the number ‘eight’ signifies ‘above nature’. When we consider that this implies being above even the spiritual worlds this section must have some very high lessons.

And sure enough we find near the end:

“I am G-d your L-rd; Make yourselves Holy and you will be Holy because I am Holy…” (11:45)

Holy doesn’t mean just spiritual. Spiritual is part of the creation. Gentiles can be spiritual; all the religions of the world are spiritual. Holy means ‘part’ of the Creator… and only Jews can be Holy.

Torah Online – Pesach

This week millions of Jews throughout the world will be sitting with family and guests around brightly lit, festive tables eating Matzo and bitter herbs, drinking four cups of wine and reminding each other about the miracles G-d did for the Jews.

They will be celebrating the holiday of Passover for the 3,314th time in history.

That’s right; millions of Jews every year since the exodus have never missed a year of Pesach Seder.

And probably the most basic commandment of the Seder is the talking about leaving Egypt. Besides carrying the spirit of the night it is the foundation of all Judaism (first of the Ten Commandments) and is mandatory not only on Pesach but on every day of the year. The Rabbis even wrote a book called the Haggada containing all the necessary praises and ideas of the night to facilitate this vital commandment.

D’var Torah – Pesach – A Wise Meditation

The Wise Son

On the first night of Passover we are introduced to the four sons of the Haggadah.(1) Drawing on various verses from the Torah, the Haggadah teaches us that there are four types of students: the wise, the wicked, the foolish and the one who knows not how to ask.

The wise one, what does he say? “What are the edicts, testimonials and commandments that our lord has instructed?” You shall inform him of the laws of the Passover. We must not eat dessert after the Paschal lamb.

At first appearance, this dialog seems straightforward. The wise son is curious about the Torah’s laws and we respond by teaching him. Since it is the eve of Passover, we begin by teaching laws that pertain to the Paschal lamb.

Further reflection, however, yields a number of questions. If he is indeed ignorant of the Torah’s laws and traditions, why is he worthy of the appellation of “wise son”?

Yud Alef Nissan: Soul Powers

Yud-Alef Nissan is the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s birthday. A birthday is more than a day for songs and celebrations. Instead, a birthday is a day when mazalo gover, the spiritual source of a person’s soul shines with power. When we say “the spiritual source of a person’s soul,” we mean something more than our conscious thought powers. We have our thoughts and our feelings. And then we possess an inner spiritual core from which those thoughts and feelings spring forth. This spiritual core is the mazal that shines powerfully on a person’s birthday.

Since a person’s mazal shines powerfully on that day, he should use its influence to focus on his individual mission and align all the particular elements of his life with it. As the Previous Rebbe taught, on a birthday a person should spend time in solitude, thinking over the purpose of his life, correcting those matters that need to be amended, and making resolutions with regard to his conduct in the future.

The Weekly Sedra – Tzav

This week’s section continues the laws of the animal sacrifices adding, among other things, the details of the Korbon Toda – the Thanksgiving Offering.

This special offering was not brought anytime but rather only on the four occasions enumerated in Psalm 107: after getting out of prison, crossing a sea, crossing a desert or recovering from a serious disease.

This is very appropriate to the holiday of Passover (which we celebrate this coming week) when we give thanks to HaShem for exactly these four miracles. He took us out of Egyptian imprisonment, across the ‘Red’ sea, through the desert and to the revelation at Mount Sinai where all diseases were cured.

The Weekly Sedra – Vayikra

This week’s section begins the third book of the Torah and is the follow-up to the book of Exodus.

Perhaps the most dominant sentence in Exodus is G-d’s message to Pharaoh: “Release My people and they will serve Me” and the book of Vayikra explains exactly what that service is: The sacrifices in the Temple.

And so it is today. Although we temporarily have no Temple, we are waiting impatiently for Moshiach to build the third and final one (Rambam, Laws of Kings 11;1) so the sacrifices can again resume with even more strength than before, as we say in the Musaf Prayers “Then we will do (make the sacrifices) before You, G-d, as you truly desire.”

The Weekly Sedra – Vayak’hel-Pekudei

In this week’s double portion the Torah relates how the vessels and priestly garments of the Tabernacle were actually made by the Jewish people and it is basically a repetition of what we read just two weeks ago in Parshat Trumah-Tetzaveh when G-d told Moses what He wanted made.

At first glance this is not understood.

Why did the Torah have to repeat an entire section when it could have said the whole thing in one sentence: “And the Jews did what G-d said and made all these vessels and garments”?